


Those Ocean Blues

by three_days_late



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [20]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Drowning, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Ocean, Storms, Whump, sanji's One True Love is the ocean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29589951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/three_days_late/pseuds/three_days_late
Summary: He felt most at home in her comforting embrace, floating among the waves. It was one of the few places he could truly feel at peace.During a fierce storm, Sanji falls overboard.
Relationships: Jinbei & Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139261
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	Those Ocean Blues

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't exactly what I thought I would write for this prompt when I first saw the list, but I think it worked out. I promise the prompt is in there somewhere.
> 
> For the [Febuwhump](https://febuwhump.tumblr.com/) day 20 prompt: Betrayal.

Sanji knew the ocean better than most. He'd lived on her for his entire life, and knew her ins and outs, knew her moods better than his own. He knew she could be loving and caring, providing him with fish and food, connecting all the islands together and letting him and his friends sail from adventure to adventure. He knew she could be angry and dangerous, full of unknown depths and dangers.

He felt most at home in her comforting embrace, floating among the waves. It was one of the few places he could truly feel at peace.

Then came the night of the storm.

Sanji had just finished putting the sails up and jumped back down to the deck. A wave smashed against the ship, the water coming up over the railing and flooding the deck. He got a good hold of the mast to keep from being washed away, but Chopper wasn't so lucky. Completely defenseless in the water, he was dragged to the railing and overboard.

Sanji reacted quickly, racing across the slick deck and diving after him, catching him in midair as they both splashed into the ocean below. The ocean was rough, tossing them around for a bit before Sanji got his bearings and kicked for the surface. He emerged with a gasp, clutching Chopper tight to his chest, and saw someone had tossed a rope down for him. He snatched the end, and gave it a few quick tugs before he was pulled up out of the water and back towards the ship.

Once he was close enough to the deck, he tossed Chopper up to it, where he was safely caught by Usopp. He reached up to grab the railing and pull himself back on deck too.

Before he could, another wave rocked the ship, dislodging him and sending him hurtling back to the depths of the ocean.

The rough waves knocked him around, tossing him this way and that until he couldn't even tell which way was the surface. Even when he tried to swim in one direction, the fierce current kept dragging him further away and down into the ocean depths.

Panic seized him. He had never felt this lost in the ocean before, but every action of his, every movement he made to get himself out only served to make him sink faster. He took a breath instinctively but only inhaled water. He slapped his hands over his mouth and nose to make sure that didn't happen again, but now he couldn't use them to swim.

He needed air. He needed to find the surface. He needed to go _up_ not _down._

But try as he might, he continued to sink.

His legs kicked out in useless spasms, trying to do something useful to save him as a sense of betrayal washed over him.

He was going to die. The ocean was going to kill him, finally claim him as her own.

There was a sudden jet stream, and a burst of movement came suddenly out of nowhere. Sanji stared wide eyed as Jinbei swam closer, grabbing him around the waist and torpedoing towards the surface. It was all Sanji could do to hold on as tight as he could and try not to breath.

They breached the surface, and Sanji's first breath was mostly water. He coughed and spluttered until he could get a full lungful of air down. Jinbei was saying something in his ear, but it sounded garbled and he couldn't quite make it out.

The Sunny was a ways away, visible, but only as a small dot on the horizon. Jinbei was bringing them towards it, but slowly.

Another wave towered over them, threatening to pull him back into the ocean's dark depths. He clutched tightly to Jinbei, closing his eyes and expecting the worst.

But Jinbei rode the wave easily, holding Sanji and keeping his head above water as he continued to make his way to the ship.

"It would be faster and easier to take an underwater route." Now that Sanji had had enough air, his words were coming in much clearer, "Can you hold your breath for a minute or so?"

He did not want to go back under the water, back into those unforgiving depths that only promised death. But Jinbei's grip around him was secure, safe. He wouldn't let Sanji sink.

The cold was seeping into his bones, making him shiver. Still, he managed to take a few deep breathes and held the last one, nodding to Jinbei when he was ready.

Jinbei dived under the surface and took off like a shot. They throttled through the water almost violently, and Sanji could feel his ears pop from the change in pressure.

Before he knew it, they were leaping out of the water and crashing onto the Sunny's deck.

Sanji immediately rolled to his knees and began hacking up the seawater still in his lungs. He felt a strong hand on his back rubbing soothing circles as he struggled for a clear breath.

"Great, now that everyone's onboard, we need to get to the eye of the storm and ride this out," he heard Nami shout above the fierce wind and roaring waves, "Jinbei, take the helm."

"Aye," Jinbei responded, and the hand left Sanji's back.

"Get him inside," Chopper was saying, "Quickly."

"M'okay," he said as he tried to stand, but his legs quickly gave out and he started falling.

Someone caught him before he hit the deck and began dragging him towards the kitchen, but he was unconscious before they got there.

* * *

Sanji woke up some time later in the infirmary bed. Jinbei was there in the chair by the bedside, reading one of Robin's books.

He groaned as he tried to sit up, causing Jinbei to look up from his book. When he noticed Sanji trying to move, he put the book down and grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table.

"Chopper said you were to rest here overnight," he said as he handed him the water.

The first cool sip against his raw and scratchy throat made him choke, and he coughed it right back up again. Jinbei rubbed his back until his got it under control and tried again, this time managing a few sips.

"You alright?" Jinbei asked, and Sanji nodded, "Good. Chopper was worried. Apparently you were underwater for quite some time."

"Yeah, well," he played with the glass in his hand, "I guess you don't have to worry about drowning."

"Not particularly," he leaned back in his chair, "From what I've heard, you don't either."

"I'm a good swimmer, but still human. I still need air," he glanced out the porthole at the dark ocean and could almost feel her tugging him back down to her depths, and the sense of oblivion and helplessness that came with it.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just," he sighed and looked back at Jinbei. If anyone would understand his feelings about the ocean, it would probably be him, "I've spent my whole life at sea. I know she can be dangerous and I shouldn't take her lightly, but she's always cared for me, in a way, and part of me always assumed that I could handle myself around her, that I'd be enough." He put his head in his hand and chuckled, "Honestly, the whole thing feels like I've been betrayed by a lover."

"That's as apt a description as any," he said as he leaned forward. "Growing up in the Fishman District, you learn the ocean's various moods quickly. Today was a bad day, one of her worst, but she'll have good days for you again, great days even. Tomorrow she'll probably give you a whole feast of fish to cook up."

"Probably," he sighed and stared out the porthole.

He started thinking about the sea and forgiveness. He knew all too well she could be and often was unforgiving, and he knew no matter what he did or say she wouldn't forgive him, that wasn't in her nature. And he knew he would forgive her, every time, because that would always be his.

Shit, it real was like being spurned by a lover.

He knew the sea still had more in store for him, both good and bad, and what he was looking for above everything else.

Jinbei had fished him out of the ocean's deadly grasp, and understood her better than most. Sanji knew he would understand this too.

"Hey, Jinbei."

He glanced up from his book, and Sanji turned to face him.

"Have you ever heard of All Blue?"


End file.
